Well, here it is! My fourth Dragon Boarder Story, involving Season 3 of RTTE. I hope you like this story and that it lives up to expectations! Thank you for the support and follows! As usual, enjoy!

Chapter One: The Warning

"Shh! Quiet bud!" Hiccup whispered, gently guiding Toothless out of the dragon hanger. Carrying his friend's set of dragon armor, Hiccup turned around to make sure that none of the other dragons woke up. Barf and Belch were still out, as were Hookfang and Meatlug. Wasatch and Teton were curled up in balls at the back end of the hanger, since Matt couldn't have both of them in his room. Windshear was also snoring in her little stall with Stormfly laying against her, both oblivious to Hiccup and Toothless leaving.

Smiling, Hiccup quickly spun around to jog out. He only had a little bit of time before Astrid would get up to take Stormfly on an early morning flight, and he wasn't wanting her to catch on what he was doing. As he ran out of the hanger, he dropped one of Toothless' armor guards.

Holding his breath as the armor clanged across the deck, he whirled around to make sure none of the dragons woke up. Seeing them only stir a little, he then slowly grabbed to fallen armor piece and cautiously stepped backwards out of the hanger; being quiet as possible with closing the door.

"Whew, that was close." He whispered, turning to Toothless who just growled disapprovingly at the armor.

"What was close?" A voice asked aloud.

Freezing, Hiccup whirled around with wide eyes as he stared at Matt, Heather and Astrid watching him. Matt was smirking at him while folding his arms. "Going for another recon mission?"

"Alone?" Heather quickly added, also folding her arms and glaring at him.

"He-hey guys!" Hiccup stammered, staring at them with wide eyes "What're you doing up?"

"Hiccup Haddock!" Astrid growled, walking in between Matt and Heather "What are you doing?! You know you can't go out there alone without any support or cover! We talked about this! After what happened to Matt, I would think you'd be the one enforcing it!"

Sighing, Hiccup shook his head as he dropped the armor on the deck "I know, I just didn't want to wake anybody up. It's not a big deal anyways!"

"I disagree." Matt huffed, parting his hair to show his head. There, from the top of his eye to the center of his head, was a long gash and scar; revealing the fatal wound he received from the man named Strogg. Frankly, he was lucky to even be breathing.

Hiccup just looked away from him, feeling guilt as he saw the scar. It was his fault for sending Matt to Strogg's trap, and he was lucky that the God's were looking after him, otherwise he was sure he'd never seen him again; or Astrid.

"Hiccup, listen. It's been months since we've seen Viggo!" Astrid began to say, walking towards him "He's not out there! Why would he stay here after that whole-"

"Fiasco?" Hiccup cut in, glaring at her as he walked past her.

"I was going to say episode…" She admitted, feeling bad about talking about the past that was still fresh in his mind. Shaking her head, she quickly continued to say "You have to stop this! You're going to wear yourself out looking for this guy who doesn't want to be found!"

"I'm fine Astrid, really." Hiccup assured, finally letting a small, reassuring smile grow on his face "Besides, I'm not looking just for Viggo or Ryker, but his Hunters!"

"And you what? Expect them to tell you where Viggo is?" Matt interrupted, letting his hair back down to cover the scar. The snowboarder kept growing his scruffy beard, being that it was late summer and getting to the fall months. His black hair was now shaggy, covering his ears and the scar he recently obtained. He was looking like the snowboarder everyone knew him to be. Aside from the leather boots and pants, and a rough spun red tunic he wore when it was warm. "Hiccup, I told you I'd help you; but Astrid's got a point. We haven't even seen a trace of the Hunters since…well, you know." Walking up to Hiccup, he rested his hand on his shoulder, saying "Plus Darien and her Flightmare, Banshee. You'd think she'd be ready to fly against us! Given how much she hates us…"

"Exactly why I'm heading out right now." Hiccup replied resolutely, squaring up to Matt. Looking at Astrid, he then said "Look, there's a lot of unanswered questions out there, and we don't know what's going to happen; but I don't want to sit here and wait! I want to find them, and get one of the Hunters to tell me where Viggo is; at least what he's planning."

Astrid closed her eyes, shaking her head. "Ugh, if you're going, at least let me and Stormfly ride with you then."

"Uh…I don't want a big group…" Hiccup quickly said, glancing at Matt and Heather.

"Well, good news." Matt replied, his goofy grin growing on his face. Leaning against Hiccup, he then said "Heather and I are going on our own ride. We saw an Island a few hours from here and thought we'd check it out. Especially since you don't want us."

"I didn't mean-" Hiccup began to protest.

"I get what you mean Hiccup, you and Astrid go for a recon mission, and we'll do our own. We'll meet up tonight and tell each other what we found." He replied, letting Hiccup go and walking into the hanger. Heather was close behind, obviously looking forward to the trip.

Astrid just stared at Hiccup with her hands on her hip, waiting for him to officially let her come.

Sighing and rolling his eyes, he huffed "Fine…"

Smiling, she quickly rubbed Toothless' head and then bolted into the hanger. Letting her eyes adjust to the darkness, she saw Matt already saddling Wasatch, as was Heather with Windshear. Teton was still waking up, stretching his wings out.

"You need to slow that kid down, Astrid." Heather called out, seeing her walk into Stormfly's stall "He's running himself ragged."

"You heard me tell him that! And I keep telling him that!" She replied, equally annoyed about it "One of these day's he's going to get himself in trouble that he and Toothless can't get out of!"

"Wouldn't be the first time." Matt chimed in, looking up at Astrid as he finished strapping on the bindings. Making sure the snowboard straps were secure, he looked up at her and reminded "Remember when I first came here? When Alvin got him? Or my personal favorite, when Dagur got him and Heather; plus you with that black curtain thing."

"Not to mention when I…uh…betrayed you two and your dragons." Heather also added, obviously still feeling guilty about her previous life decisions.

"Yeah, it's just, this is different. I don't know how to explain it." She replied, making sure her saddle was secured as well.

"How so?" Heather asked, walking up to her.

"I…I don't know. It just is." She answered, unable to really word how she felt.

Matt was a little more tuned to what she was hinting at, to which he asked "Are you two finally a couple?"

Astrid's face instantly blushed as she whirled around and stared at Matt and Heather. Their dragons were standing behind them, watching her too. "No! I mean…"

Shaking his head, Matt then growled "You two need to make it final. Seriously! It's painful to sit here and watch you two like each other, but not do anything!"

"Matt, drop it!" She growled, recovering from the sudden subject.

Shrugging, both Matt and Heather turned and walked out of the hanger, smiling as they did so. "Just thinking of you two, that's all."

Shaking her head, Astrid slowly walked out behind them, trying to ignore the fact that Matt brought up; even though he nailed the very issue she was struggling with. She did care about Hiccup, and it was easy for her to worry about him and his compulsive decisions, especially of late; he seemed to constantly be on edge.

Arriving on the hanger's deck, she looked around to see that Hiccup and Toothless were nowhere to be seen.

"Uh oh…" Matt whispered, knowing full well the wrath that Hiccup was going to face "Please tell me he didn't just leave you…"

"Without Toothless' armor." She growled, walking up to a pile of the Gronckle Iron armor plates "Urgh! I'm going to kill him!"

"Need us to go with you to find him?" Heather asked, walking next to her.

Shaking her head, she replied "No, I'll find him. If not, I'll just take it out on him tonight!"

"I think I'll help you beat him when you do." Matt huffed, shaking his head at the pile of armor.

Letting out a long sigh, Astrid turned to Matt and Heather, saying "You two go ahead on your trip, Stormfly and I will go look for the mutton head and his reptile."

Smiling, Matt just nodded, climbing on Wasatch. "Well, if you're sure. We have no problem staying to help you."

"I'm sure. Trust me, I'm sure." She growled, her eyes narrowing as she climbed on Stormfly.

"Hey, hit him in the shoulder once for me." Heather teased, knowing that Hiccup would be lucky if Astrid didn't knock his arm off when she found him.

"Yeah, yeah…" She growled, squaring up on her saddle "Come on girl, let's go find him…"

The two watched her take off and glide to the west, guessing that was where he went. Shaking her head, Heather turned to Matt and said "You need to talk to Hiccup."

"About what? Leaving Astrid? Going on his own?" He asked, strapping himself into the bindings "I already plan on doing that tonight."

"No, about dating her. At least making it official about being a couple!" Heather huffed, shaking her head at the thought "They're perfect for each other!"

"I know, and I've tried to hint it to him; but I guess I'll have to be a little more direct." He huffed, shaking his head at the thought. Looking at Heather with a wide smile, he asked "Ready?"

"Ready." She confirmed, launching into the air and leaving him behind.

Shaking his head, he shouted "Come on boys, let's go!" At that, both Wasatch and Teton launched into the air, quickly catching up to Windshear.

"So…this island. When did you see it?" Heather asked, looking at Matt with a raised eyebrow "I mean, you haven't been on long rides for a while; only to Berk and back really."

"A few months ago. That's all I'm going to say." He replied with a smile "I'll explain everything when we get there, deal?"

"I hate surprises Matt. You know that." She growled, narrowing his eyes at him.

"I know, but I think you'll like this one." He replied with a shrug. Testing his brace, making sure it was working, he carved in the air alongside her as he explained "It really is a few hours away, but shouldn't feel that long."

"I guess we'll see." She huffed, shaking her head. Then, rather slowly, let a smile grow on her face. Watching Matt continue to carve in the air, with Teton following closely behind, she couldn't help but think of how lucky she was that he was still alive. And to have him able to still do what he liked to do. Thinking about what she told Matt to tell Hiccup, she thought about what she's done to help hers and Matt's relationship. Maybe she wasn't the best one to instruct Matt or Hiccup what to do, which she quietly resolved to be better.

"Hey Heather, wanna race?" He asked, a mischievous grin growing on his face.

"Only if you want to lose!" She laughed, getting low on her saddle. At that, she bolted ahead, leaving Matt and his two Skrills.

"Oh hohoho, you're so going down…" He whispered, letting his grin break into a smile. At that, both Wasatch and Teton roared as they chased after the Razorwhip, enjoying the random game.

"Wow…" Heather gasped, letting Windshear land gently in the cove that Matt pointed out "It's beautiful! Look at that waterfall!"

"I know, isn't it amazing?" He asked, landing next to her. Soaking in the sight of the paradise that seemed to exist, he let his mind go into a flash back. This was it. The place where he woke up three days later after being 'killed' by Strogg. He, by every right and reason, should be dead; but was saved by the stranger and vagabond, Ukiah. Grabbing something in his pocket, he felt the cloth message that he received from a Terrible Terror just a few days ago.

The cove was shaded by multiple trees, with the sunlight streaming through the few holes allowed. The natural canopy was serene, with the sound of the moving water adding to the peaceful feeling. Small birds were darting to and from random trees. It was indeed the definition of a paradise.

"How did you find this place? When did you find this…this piece of Valhalla?" Heather asked, walking over to the edge of the pond, sitting down and letting her feet dangle just above the clear water.

"I woke up here." He answered, waiting to see her reaction.

Heather whirled around, staring at him with wide eyes. "Wait…you…woke up here? Like when…"

"This is where Ukiah took me when he pulled me out of the ocean. After Strogg did what he did to me." Matt whispered, unstrapping himself and dismounting from Wasatch. Walking over to Heather, he sat down next to her "This is where I learned I was alive. Heh, barely."

Heather stared at him, realizing the significance of this place.

"Heh, you know! I had the thought that he wasn't going to make it too." A voice shouted from behind the pouring water, making the two turn to see who it was.

Out from behind the waterfall, emerged Ukiah and Arrow, who promptly jumped in the pond and swam lazily towards them. Ukiah had his crossbow in hand, though he let it hang loosely to the side. Wiping the water from his eyes, he smiled as Heather just gaped at him. He still had his black chainmail shirt, this time though, having a couple of pouches slung around him. His black braided hair was the same as usual, as was his unusually clean cut face. His hazel eyes seemed to shine as he looked at his friends, adding to his bright smile.

"Wha-Ukiah?!" She cried, unsure of how to react "What're you doing here?"

"Meeting Matt, though it seems he decided to bring you along." He replied, looking over at Matt who was just smiling "A pleasant surprise!"

Flashing the cloth message to her, Matt then explained "I got this a few days ago, and thought it'd be good that I brought you along to meet with him, since you weren't able to say bye last time."

"Ukiah!" Heather laughed, jumping up and running to him. Grabbing him in a hug, she explained "I never got a chance to thank you for what you did!"

Blushing that she was hugging him in front of Matt, who was just smiling at the sight, he then excused "Don't thank me for that, it was my fault for what happened to begin with."

"That's not fair to you, and you know it." Heather quickly fired back, letting go of him "Hiccup and Astrid kept you and Strogg a secret from us! We had no way of preparing for what did happen."

"It doesn't matter." Matt chimed in, walking next to Heather. Fist bumping Ukiah, he added "We all made it out in one piece. More or less."

"Speaking of which, how's the eye?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's healed. I can see just fine." He replied with a wide smile. Brushing his hair back to show him that the wound had indeed healed, he explained "Took the few months since you left, but I'm better. Just going to leave a nasty scar."

"I can see that…" Ukiah whispered, touching the scar that ran down his head to his eye "Can't believe you pulled through after that hit. And after basically drowning."

"He wouldn't have if you didn't grab him and patch him up." Heather whispered, wrapping her arm around Matt's waist and pulling herself close to him "Thank you, Ukiah. Not just for his sake, but mine too."

"Not a problem, it's you two I should thank." Ukiah humbly replied "Without you two defending me, Hiccup and Astrid would have sooner banished me again, rather than hear me out."

"Yeah, well, Hiccup doesn't feel the same way as Astrid." Matt began to say "But she's still…tense about talking with you. Her and Stoick."

"Wait, you told Stoick about me?!" Ukiah gasped.

"Of course we did. We were seeing how likely it was about you being able to come back to Berk." Heather cut in "He didn't say no, but he was still a little…sensitive about what you did to Hiccup and Astrid."

Shaking his head, Ukiah whispered "Stoick is the only man I actually fear. I don't think I can get myself to even look at him. I'd need you guys, plus Hiccup to be with me."

"Speaking of…" Matt pointed out. Waving the cloth, he asked "You said you wanted to talk alone, why not invite Hiccup?"

Ukiah's face grew dark, thinking about what he was going to say "Because I don't know if I believe him yet. About him wanting me back."

"Of course he does!" Matt groaned, rolling his eyes at the comment "Don't you realize that he's been one hundred percent honest with you? That he doesn't lie to you about that kind of stuff?"

"It's…complicated." Ukiah whispered, rubbing the back of his head. Turning to see Arrow in the pond, lightly splashing Windshear, with Teton and Wasatch jumping in the pond, he added "I guess I'm still feeling out what they think of me. It's hard to just go back to the people that hated me for a few years."

"Ukiah, I of all people understand what it feels like to be alone; and how hard it is to go back to a home that you betrayed." Heather cut in, stepping up to him "Trust me on that; but believe me when I say that no matter how hard it feels, it's better to have others in your life…"

"I guess so…" Ukiah replied quietly, looking down from Heather's gaze. Shaking his head, he then looked up and said "Enough about me, the reason I wanted to see you, was to give you a warning."

"A warning? What's going on?" Matt asked, alarmed at where the conversation was heading.

"You know I'm looking for Crev, my native island, right?" Ukiah quizzed, looking at Heather.

Both of them nodded, knowing his one reason for not staying at Dragon's Edge.

"Well, I get to see some parts of the world. At least parts of the archipelago." He continued to say "Ran into your Hunter friends a few times." Raising his hand to stop Heather from protesting him, he quickly explained "They didn't know I was on their islands when I ran into them. But you need to know, they're capturing and selling dragons like mad! They're going from island to island and taking every single dragon they can!"

Heather's head snapped towards Matt as she exclaimed "That explains why we haven't seen them for a few months! They're busy with their own campaign!"

"And they've had enough time to build up their fleet and men." Matt added, closing his eyes in anger.

"Plus their ambitions." Ukiah added "That character, Viggo? The one that was apparently working from the shadows? He's been more and more bold and upfront. He's building forts and all kinds of dragon prisons across the archipelago, plus doing his own raiding missions." Gesturing to the cove all around them, he explained "Arrow and I chased all the dragons away from here, keeping it from being scouted by him and his other Hunters."

"So they have no idea about this place?" Matt quizzed, raising an eyebrow at the claim.

"Oh, they know about it. But they won't be looking into it; since there no dragons here." He replied with a small smile "They probably crossed this place off."

Matt just sighed, digesting the information. Of course Viggo and Ryker would have been busy. Months without having the riders attack their ships and free their dragons, they must have twice the army from before.

"They're split up into multiple smaller groups." Ukiah continued to explain, slinging over the backpack that Matt had given him a few months ago. Opening it up, he pulled out a rolled up paper with all kinds of writing on it. What was concerning though, was that it had a Hunter's seal on it.

"Where'd you get that?" Heather asked, staring at Ukiah with concern.

"I liberated it from one of their lieutenants when she was sleeping at one of their camps. She's the only one that has a dragon following her; a glowing one." Ukiah replied, a mischievous grin forming on his face.

"Darien…" Matt whispered, his eyes growing cold and dark.

"How do you know her?" Ukiah asked, surprised at the comment.

Matt closed his eyes in regret, doing his best to keep his composure "She's…here because of me. It's something that I can't really explain right now without telling you how I met Hiccup, which I'd rather tell you in more formal circumstances. But I will say that we know her quite well unfortunately."

Heather gently squeezed Matt, trying to help comfort him. She knew how much he blamed himself for her being there, and wanted to help him as much as possible. She remembered the cold and heartless look he had when he had his hatchet on Darien's throat, something she didn't want to see again.

Nodding in understanding, Ukiah then unrolled the paper, explaining "Well, for a leader, she's pretty careless. Left this on a table in the middle of her camp. Pretty easy to sneak in and take it." Showing it to Matt and Heather, he continued to say "This paper has a list of all the leaders that were given small fleets, plus all the islands they've been using for their operations. Viggo and Ryker kept most of the ships themselves, and are camped in the more secure islands; but the smaller fleets were given to lesser men." Pointing to a name, he then said "Darien, the one you apparently know, is ranked pretty high among them. After tailing her fleet for a bit, it was easy to tell that she's doing personal errands for Viggo and Ryker. Can't tell what exactly, but she's involved with collecting random materials and visiting islands that have villages similar to the Outcasts."

"Probably looking for allies; or places to recruit more men." Matt whispered, studying the paper methodically. Shaking his head, he then joked sarcastically "So much for looking for your island, Crev. Seems like you've only been busy following these guys."

"Well, after a whole month of fruitless searching, I decided to track the guys who would have an idea where it is." Ukiah explained, rolling up the paper and handing it to Heather "Viggo knows these seas better than anyone; even Hiccup. If I'm going to find Crev, my best chance is learning it from the Hunters."

"So…why are you giving this to us?" Heather asked, waving the paper around.

"So you can tell Hiccup and Astrid." He replied with a smile "At least this will be some proof that I'm trying to come back."

"Just come with us!" Heather urged, grabbing his hand. Pulling on it, she then said "Astrid may still have a problem with you, but you shouldn't be alone anymore!"

"Thank you Heather, I appreciate it." He replied, smiling as he pulled his hand out of hers "But I'm going to follow another ship. On the list, his name is Eirik. He's been sailing closer and closer to Dragon's Edge every week, so I'm wanting to figure out why before they decide to hit you guys. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to stop it entirely."

Matt then spoke up, his face darkening. Grabbing Ukiah's arm, he then spoke powerfully as he said "Ukiah, I don't want you doing anything that puts you at risk for our sake. If you need help, I expect you to come get me and Heather. Hiccup will come too, that much I know."

"Thank you Matt, I'll take you up on that if I find out anything that's going to need a team." Ukiah replied with a smile. Resting his crossbow on his shoulder, he then added "But one thing you don't really know about me, is that I am a killer. One that can hold his own. And I plan on showing Viggo what a Crevite can do."

Both Matt and Heather had chills run down their backs. Ukiah, though a friend, was still a stranger in ways they wouldn't get to know without the passing of time.

"Now, enough of that. You guys hungry? Do you like venison?" Ukiah asked, pulling out some meat from his bag "Got a deer earlier this morning."

"Very much so. Didn't even bring something to snack on." Heather answered, pulling a face as she spoke.

Laughing, Ukiah pulled out a small bag of berries, tossing it to her. "Here, that'll keep the wolves away. Matt, help me start a fire, will ya?"

"Heh, you got it." He replied with a smile. Though still a stranger with a dark mystery, Ukiah was by far, still a friend.